Applying and Getting Hired

Step Five: After You're Hired

As you move further along in the interview process and get close to finding a position, you should make sure you have taken care of the following so that your first days as a new teacher are as smooth as possible. Use our New Teacher Checklist to guide your process.

Certification

All teachers working in New York City public schools must be certified by the New York State Education Department. Confirm that you have applied for a valid teaching certificate and submitted all required documentation so you can begin work.

Fingerprinting and Background Check

To keep our school communities safe, we require all employees to be fingerprinted and undergo a background check before beginning work. The cost of fingerprinting is $130, which is payable by check, money order, credit card, or deduction from your first paycheck. (Cash is not accepted) Before you begin working, your fingerprints must be cleared by the state and federal government, as well as our Office of Personnel Investigations.

Fingerprinting services are available from the HR Connect Walk-In Center at 65 Court Street, Room 102, in Brooklyn between 9 AM and 5 PM However, applicants are strongly encouraged to report to the Walk-in Center by 4:30 PM.

Full-time teachers and student teachers should plan to proceed with the appropriate fingerprinting process as described below:

Teachers: Once you are nominated for a position, you will receive an email with instructions to log into the Applicant Gateway. You must complete and e-sign all required forms in Applicant Gateway. Then you must come to the HR Connect Walk-in Center with your original I-9 documentation that shows eligibility to work in the U.S. Please refer to the I-9 Eligibility Form for a complete list of acceptable documentation.

Student teachers: Once you are nominated into our Personnel Eligibility Tracking System (PETS) roster by your college or university, you will receive an email with instructions to log into the Applicant Gateway. You must complete and e-sign all required forms in Applicant Gateway. Then you must come to the HR Connect Walk-in Center with a government-issued photo identification (ex: driver’s license), your school ID, and fingerprint payment of $130.

Salary Steps and Differentials and Direct Deposit

We use the “Work Experience” section of your employment application to preliminarily determine if you have relevant experience that will place you on a higher salary step. Make sure this information is up to date before you receive an offer from a school in order to receive the appropriate salary at the beginning of the school year. You can log on and edit this part of application until the day you receive an offer from a principal. After you are hired by a principal, you must validate your information through the online salary step application, even if you are not claiming prior experience.

If you would like your pay to be deposited directly in your bank account, new employees should complete an Electronic Fund Transfer Application form and send it to the address on the form. If you would like to wait to enroll in direct deposit until after you receive your first paycheck, you can apply online.

For more information on how salary steps and differentials are calculated, visit Salary and Benefits.

New Teacher Development

Once you’ve received and accepted an offer, there will be opportunities for orientation and development, including school specific orientations that your principal schedules. The Department of Education also offers many online resources for new teachers.

Former New York City Teachers

We welcome your interest in returning to teaching in the city's public schools. Former New York City teachers must take two additional steps after they have been offered a job in one of our schools.

Undergo a service review- Before employment of any former teacher can be considered by the New York City Department of Education, a thorough review of the teacher's service history (including all leaves of absence, transfers, etc.) and performance ratings will be conducted. Returning teachers must meet the standard of exemplary past service for any consideration. The Office of Personnel Investigations will begin their review once they get notice from your principal of their intent to hire you.

Additional Information for New Teachers

There's a few more things you'll have to do once you begin working.

Select a Health Benefits Plan - You can research the various health plans and enroll using NYCAPS Employee Self-Service (ESS). Please note that you must have your new employee ID number which will be on your first pay stub.

Enroll in the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) and Tax-Deferred Annuity Program (TDA) - Review your TRS benefits and download your enrollment and beneficiary forms. You can enroll in the TDA online after you are enrolled in TRS.

Obtain your File Number - A file number is a unique identifier issued to educators in the New York City Department of Education.Your file number will be issued after your first paycheck. If you were previously issued a file number as a substitute teacher or employee, you will keep that file number.